Who thinks The Golden Girls would have been as sucessful a show if Betty White was casted as Blanche and Rue McClanahan had the role of Rose, as originally planned. I can't even imagine it!!!! :eek:

Who thinks The Golden Girls would have been as sucessful a show if Betty White was casted as Blanche and Rue McClanahan had the role of Rose, as originally planned. I can't even imagine it!!!! :eek:

LOL I could not imagine that either. That would have been funny to see that. However, I do not think The Golden Girls would have had as much success.

Well Betty played a "Blanche" type on the Mary Tyler Moore show and Rue although not a "Rose" type she was more subdued on Maude so they could have done it. I think it was in their Intimate Portraits or in the bonus part of season 7 dvd that Rue said she really wanted the role of Blanche after having played on Maude. Can't remember her character's on there. In the end I'm glad it worked out the way it did.

I really can't see the roles switched. I don't think Rue could have pulled off the Rose role.

I really can't see the roles switched. I don't think Rue could have pulled off the Rose role.

I don't know if thats fair to say, but I'm so glad they had the intuistion to see Rue as Blanche Deveroux, and would the St. Olaf stories ever had come into being if Betty White was not Rose? I also think it eventually showed the wide range of both actresses.
Its interesting, that Rue's character was "killed off" Mama's Family because I don't think the writers knew much what to do with the Aunt Fran character. It so great that she went on to her breakout role of Blanche onThe Golden Girls and at the same time Betty got to play a diverse character from Sue Ann and Ellen.

Rue's character was killed off because she was doing Golden Girls, not because they didn't know what to do with her. They could have not killed her and had her married off, moved away and left often for future guest spots. They did that with Betty White, who made just one guest spot ( a shame though).